A university in California has remained tight-lipped after students rioted and heavily vandalized the campus, according to a tip received through Young America’s Foundation’s Campus Bias Tipline.
The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) campus was vandalized after the UC Davis Cops Off Campus group rioted in favor of police abolition. The students allegedly attempted to set fire to the campus police department as well.
Afterward, a trail of graffiti was left on campus, covering signs and statues alike. A fire near the campus police building is visible in photos shared by an anonymous tipster. A large cut-out of a pig, placed outside the same building, read “Cops off campus now” on one side and “We will outlive policing” on the other.
According to the tipster, the rioters also allegedly set off smoke bombs and flares.
Many of the photos of the vandalism were shared afterward on the social media pages of UC Davis #CopsOffCampus.
The November 18 riot was advertised on both Twitter and Instagram by the group.
Despite the damage, neither UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May nor the university itself have made statements regarding the vandalism.
The university told YAF, “There were no riots. There were protests with minimal damage that concluded shortly after the business day at 5:30 p.m.”
“UC Davis is not eliminating its police department,” they added.
President of UC Davis College Republicans Jenna DiCarlo told YAF “The police are a vital resource to students and we feel much safer when they are present on our campus.”
“Having police on campus is a common-sense policy that protects all students should a threat arise, and we as a club actively stand by our university police department,” she continued.
UC Davis Cops Off Campus is a part of a larger coalition called Cops Off Campus, which, according to its website, espouses the goal of complete abolition of police.
The Defund the Police movement has taken its infiltration of college campuses to a new extreme. What’s worse is that university administrations often refuse to address the damage, vandalism, and danger these activists cause. Students cannot allow their university administrations to avoid responding to incidents of this nature. Violence must be wholly condemned, and those responsible must be held accountable.
